Credit-account cabinet.



W. K. EDGAR.

CREDIT AGOOUNT CABINET.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 9. 1908.

Jones J D.

wz'inwsy" .1 raven for (id/diam 3y fifig j zi Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

FIE.

WILLIAM KERR EDGAR, 0F IOLA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 FRANK THOMAS TOLBERT, OF IOLA, KANSAS.

CREDIT-ACCOUNT CABINET.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TILLIAM KERR EDGAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Iola, in the county of Allen and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Credit-Account Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to credit account cabinets, and is designed more particularly for the use of retail merchants, and my object is to produce a simple and cheap but ornamental and attractive cabinet wherein may be conveniently disposed customers account slips, and wherein such slips shall be so arranged that the amount due the merchant can be ascertained at a glance.

"With this general object in view, the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in whichbodying my invention. Fig. 2, is a vertical section on the line IIII of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a horizontal section on the dotted line III- of Fig. 1. Fig. 4, is a view showing the sections of the cabinet folded face to face and so secured.

In the said drawing the frame for holding the sections of the body ofthe cabinet in operative relation consists of a base 1, a back wall 2, a top 8 and side walls 4, the latter having their front edges pitched downwardly and forwardly from the front edge of the top, by preference, the lower end of said pitched edges terminating a considerable distance short of the front edge of the base.

The body portion of the case consists by preference of a pair of sections each being constructed as follows: 5 indicates the back wall preferably pitched at an angle approximately corresponding to that of the front edges of walls 4. of the frame. 6 is the bottom to rest upon base 1, 7 is the top paralleling the bottom and projecting forwardly from the upper edge as bottom 6 does from the lower edge of the back wall 5, and 8 indicates the side walls connecting the back 5, bottom 6, and top 7, having their front edges pitched downwardly and forwardly from Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 9, 1908.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910. Serial No. 431,970.

the front edge of the top to the corresponding edge of the bottom.

vVhere two sections only are employed they are preferably arranged side by side and are of such proportion that when so arranged they will fit snugly between the side walls of the frame, the height of the sections being such that they will also fit snugly between the base land top 3 of the frame, the latter thus serving to hold the sections in a convenient position for the merchant or his salesman, and for convenience in handling the sections they are preferably connected together by hinges 9 at the front edges of their adjacent sides.

The opposite walls of the sections forward of walls 4: of the frame are. equipped with brackets 10 to which are pivoted bails or handles 11, and when the sections are removed from the frame they can be swung around on hinges 9 until their faces meet as shown in Fig 1, this action bringing the handles or balls 11 sufiiciently close to enable ones hand to grasp both handles for Figure 1, 1s a face new of a cablnet emconvenience in carrying the sections, it being also noted by reference to the last-named figure that one of them is provided with a pivoted hook 12 and the other with a staple 13 to. be engaged by the hook in order to hold the sections in their folded or portable position, it being further understood that any suitable means (not shown) may be employed to lock them in such position if desired, and thus prevent an unauthorized person obtaining access to the account slips, hereinafter referred to.

The side walls of each section are provided in their inner faces with grooves 11 to receive the tongues 15 of the side edges of partitions 16 dividing the sections into a plurality of compartments or horizontal chambers, the said partitions being of substantially the same length so as to form a series of steps in a plane parallel with the front or inclined edges of the side walls as shown clearly in Fig. 2. Each partition except the under-most one, by preference, is provided with a longitudinal groove 17 for its full length and all of the partitions except the topmost one are provided in the vertical plane of groove 17 with grooves 19 in their upper sides, grooves 19 by preference terminating short of the front edges of the partitions so as to provide stops for into place.

The partitions'lS subdivide the horizontal chambers or compartments into smaller compartments 20 and at the front end of said compartments the horizontal partitions are provided with openings 21 bridged by flanged metal cross pieces 22. By inserting ones linger in said openings, the operator can utilize the cross pieces as handles in withdrawing the horizontal partitions from the sections. The cross pieces 22 also provide holders for paper slips 23 containing the names of the customerst-wo only being shown, see Fig. 1-tacks 24 or equivalent devices being utilized to hold the cross pieces 22 in position and incidentally the name slips.

25 are spring clamps for each compartment 20 in the form of rods which extend obliquely downward and forward, fitting at their rear ends in grooves 26 of the overlying partitions 16 terminating at such ends in hooks 27 embedded in said partitions. By this arrangement the spring clamps are held reliably in place though it is obvious that they may be otherwise secured. At their front ends they project slightly beyond the cross pieces of the underlying partitions 16 and are bent back as at 28 to provide handles by which they may be easily raised and contiguous to such front ends they are adapted to clamp down upon the partitions the account slips 29, which, for the purpose of economizing space will probably befolded longitudinally as shown in Fig. 1 most clearly, said slips being preferably so folded as to expose the amount columns to the view of the merchant or his salesman.

lVith each sale an account slip will be placed into the compartment 20 of the particular customer and will show at the bottom of the column the amount such customer owes. hen the customer makes another purchase it will be entered upon another slip which will be totaled and the total entered on the slip, at the same time he will bring forward the total of the preceding slip and add the same to the total of the second slip. so that the topmost slip will always show the amount due the merchant by any particular customer, it being also understood that if the customer pays anything on account this amount will be deducted on the topmost slip from the previous total. By this method of keeping accounts and of arranging the slips for convenient reference how the account of a particular customer stands.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a credit account cabinet possessing the features of advantage enumerated and I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be restricted to the exact details of construction and organization shown and described as obvious modifications will suggest themselves to one skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is i In a cabinet, the combination of a frame, comprising a back wall, trapezium-shaped side walls projecting forward from the back wall, a narrow top wall connecting the up per ends of the side walls and the back wall, and a bottom wall connecting the lower ends of the side walls and the back wall and projecting forwardly a considerable distance be yond the free edges of the top wall and the side walls, in combination with a pair of frames of rhombo-id form in side elevation consisting of vertical side walls of rhomboid shape and bottom walls resting upon the bottom wall of the first-named frame and terminating a suitable distance forward of the back wall of said frame, back walls extending upwardly and rearwardly within the said frame from the side and bottom walls, and a top wall extending forwardly from the upper end of the said back walls and connecting the said side walls, hinges connecting the adjacent side walls of said pair of frames at the front edges of said walls to permit the front edges of the walls of one of said pair of f; mes to be folded flatly against the corresponding edges of the companion frame when said pair of frames are removed from-the first-named frame, horizontal partitions for said pair of frames. and spring clamps suitably secured at their rear ends and extending downwardly and for 'ardly to clamp one or more slips of paper upon the underlying partitions at the front ends of the latter, and means to' fasten said pair of frames reliably together when folded face to face.

In testimony whereof I atiix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

Gno. B. EDGAR, Jr., D. MEL IN.

the merchant can always tell at a glance. 

